Ghoul Studies
by TorScrawls
Summary: Hide's class in Ghouls Studies gets an assignment to interview any ghoul they want, and there's this cute boy in his Asian History class that he really wants to talk to. This is as good an opportunity as any! ...Right?
1. Chapter 1

"Hey! Hey you! Wait!"

Kaneki turned around, looking for the source of all the shouting and saw a blond young man running in his direction, waving his hand over his head. Kaneki looked around quickly and saw several other people glancing up from what they were doing to see what was happening. Kaneki took a step back so he was standing against the corridor wall, trying to get out of the running man's way and keeping his eyes on the floor as to not garner any attention.

"Oh, thank you! It's Kaneki, right?" Someone said in a labored voice right in front of him.

Kaneki looked up in surprise. "Eh?"

"Your name? It's Kaneki, right?" The blond young man who had been running down the corridor screaming was standing in front of him, smiling from ear to ear.

"Well… Yes," Kaneki said with hesitation. He felt his cheeks heating up from the unexpected attention, and from the fact that he could see several people look at them from out of the corner of his eye.

"Great! I'm Hide! We share Asian History!" The young man named Hide proclaimed while extending his hand, seemingly expecting Kaneki to shake it. He seemed utterly oblivious to the scene he was making.

"O-okay?" Kaneki carefully extended his own hand and gave a small squeak as Hide grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.

"Can I interview you?" Hide said while still shaking his hand with a bit too much force.

"Excuse me?" Kaneki felt like he had missed some important information. Hide seemed to realize that he didn't make much sense and stopped shaking Kaneki's hand, much to the other's relief. Hide took a deep breath and straightened up. Kaneki suddenly wished he hadn't backed himself up against a wall, he felt unexplainably trapped in front of the other's intense gaze.

"I'm sorry. I know I can get a bit intense. It's just for a class assignment. If you're not busy, maybe we can sit down and I can explain? And we could get away from all the looks," Hide cast a quick look around and rubbed his neck. Okay, not oblivious to the scene he was making, then. Kaneki smiled.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you from class, and I have a lecture now-"

"Please! It won't take long!" Hide interrupted him, clasping his hands together in front of him as if praying. Kaneki continued with a slightly louder voice.

"-BUT if you are free, we can meet up at 17 and talk then?" As he finished speaking Hide laughed.

"Sneaky! Okay, yeah, that works! Thank you!" Hide said and gave a small jump on the spot. Kaneki thought the other reminded him of a puppy with his excessive energy and big expressive eyes.

"It's nothing. See you later then, I really have to go now," Kaneki said as he pushed away from the wall. He didn't look back at Hide, but felt like he could finally breathe properly again, no longer feeling cornered.

"Meet me at the cafeteria at 17! Okay?!" Hide called after him. Kaneki raised a hand to indicate he had heard him.

The lecture passed in slow motion and Kaneki wasn't able to focus at all. Why had a student, whom he barely knew, from Asian History approached him for an interview? What was the interview about? Why had he approached him specifically? When the lecture was halfway done Kaneki had started to doubt his decision to meet up with the other. What if he was an investigator? What if he was part of the Anti-Ghoul movement? What if he wanted to out him in school? Or just humiliate him?

As the clock struck 17 and the teacher announced the end of class Kaneki was sweating and trembling. He would _not_ go to the meeting. He didn't know this Hide-person, and he had nothing to gain by meeting up with him, but he had a lot to lose. Kaneki nervously carded his hands through his white hair and tried to think.

Touka had warned him that there were people that still searched out ghouls and bullied them, no matter the new anti-discrimination laws. But Hide had seemed so nice. So happy. So _genuine._ And Kaneki had to admit to himself, he was lonely. Keeping to himself as to not risk someone discovering his secret had ended with a very lonely school experience. And what if Hide was as kind as he seemed. He could just go to the meeting and see what the other wanted. If he sensed any foul-play he could simply leave.

Having made up his mind, Kaneki made his way over towards the school cafeteria. He stopped walking several times, having to talk himself into continuing again and again. Living a life in hiding did result in some problems when it came to trusting people.

Kaneki came to a halt right outside the cafeteria and peered in. He could make out Hide sitting alone at a table in the back, two cups in front of him and a pair of headphones over his ears. Kaneki quickly scanned the rest of the room, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He slowly let out the breath he had been holding and felt his shoulders relax. It really seemed like Hide had just wanted to meet and talk.

Kaneki started to make his way over to where Hide sat, but hadn't taken more than a couple of steps before the other shot up from the chair he had been sitting in, ripped of his headphones, and started waving at Kaneki with a huge grin.

"Kaneki! Over here!" Hide shouted over the cafeteria, earning quite a few annoyed looks from the other visitors. Kaneki wondered how he could have possibly missed this person being a part of his Asian History class for a whole term. The wonder of always keeping your head down, he supposed.

"Yes, hello Hide. I see you," Kaneki said when he was close enough to the other to be able to communicate with a normal speaking voice.

"I thought you weren't gonna show! Your coffee got cold," Hide said and pouted. He actually _pouted._ Kaneki quickly looked away and focused on the clock situated above the cafeteria entrance. 17:20.

"Oh…" Kaneki turned back to Hide's still pouty face and felt himself turn red, "I'm sorry Hide, I lost track of the time." At his words Hide's face transformed back into the smile that seemed to be its standard setting. Kaneki breathed a bit easier.

"It's cool. Your coffee that is. Might want to get a refill if you're not a fan of ice-lattes," Hide said with a laugh as he sat back down at the table. Kaneki forced a laugh as well, suppressing a shudder at the thought of coffee with any trace of milk in it. Maybe he should go get a new coffee.

"Alright, I'll be right back. You want anything?" Kaneki said as he put his bag down by the chair opposite to Hide. When had this turned into such a pleasant, friendly, meet up? Kaneki couldn't bring himself to mind.

"Yeah! Can you see if they have some bread? Melon bread. Thanks, and sorry!" Hide smiled at him and Kaneki smiled back instinctively. He turned to make his way over to the counter when he felt a small frown replace his smile. He turned back towards Hide.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Hm? Well, it might be a bit uncomfortable for you? If not, then I'm sorry for assuming!" Hide smiled and rubbed at his neck again, seemingly feeling a bit ashamed. Kaneki opened his mouth to ask why it would make him uncomfortable to buy him some bread, but closed it again. They could talk when he got back. He did really want some coffee.

After picking out a piece of bread, filling a cup to the brim with warm, black, coffee from the cafeteria's coffee-machine, and paying, Kaneki made his way back over to where Hide sat. During his absence Hide had produced a notebook and a pen and sat scribbling small shapes in the corner of the paper, humming aloud to a song Kaneki didn't recognize.

"Here's your bread." Kaneki put the food down on top of Hide's notebook, seemingly startling the other out of his thoughts.

"Oh! Thank you!" Hide said and directed a big smile up at Kaneki who cleared his throat and took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"It's just bread," He mumbled out, but Hide continued to smile at him so in an attempt to make him stop Kaneki huffed out a "You're welcome." It didn't work.

"I'm glad you decided to show up, I didn't know who else to ask," Hide started as he tore open the package of sweet smelling bread. Kaneki fought to not wrinkle his nose at the strong smell. Hide looked up. "Oh, is it okay if I eat this? I'm starving!" Hide chuckled apologetically and bit into the bread with clear delight. _Gross._

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Kaneki scratched at his chin and brought his coffee up to his face, breathing in the comforting aroma. Hide simply shrugged in response.

"So… Why did you ask me? We have never talked before. Have we?" Kaneki knew he was sometimes bad at remembering people, but he was sure that he would have been able to recall a conversation with the overly-happy, loud, and positively beaming guy that sat in front of him.

"Well... As I said, I didn't have anyone else to ask. And I remembered you from Asian History, and you seemed nice, even though we never really talked before, and… yeah!" Hide spoke with his mouth full. Kaneki did wrinkle his nose in distaste this time. Hide laughed.

"What is this interview about?" Kaneki asked with a slight sense of apprehension.

"Well…" Hide swallowed his food, "Ghouls."

"…What?"

"Well, it's an assignment from Ghoul Studies, and I thought -" Hide spoke with an innocent smile, seemingly not noticing Kaneki's suddenly pale face, "- that I could interview a ghoul close to my age, you are around 18, right? Well, anyway. Then I remembered seeing you in Asian History, and thought that; man! I want to interview that guy! And then - " Kaneki felt himself start to sweat and he carefully placed his cup on the table when saw his hands shaking, Hide continued on, " – I saw you in the hallway earlier today, and well, the rest you know!" Hide ended his speech by raising his hands high, still smiling. Kaneki looked at him with wide eyes, opening and closing his mouth several times without saying a word. Hide finally seemed to focus on the person he was talking to and his smile immediately fell. "Dude, you're all pale. Are you okay?"

"I- I'm…" Kaneki managed to get out of his suddenly very tight throat. Hide knew he was a ghoul. Who else in school knew? Would he have to change school again?

"Oh. Oh no. I'm sorry," Hide lowered his voice and bent forward towards Kaneki, "Was it a secret? I didn't realize. I haven't told anyone, it's cool." Kaneki felt himself relax slightly at this.

"Okay, o-okay. I believe you," Kaneki mumbled and grasped his hands together on the table, trying to get them to stop shaking.

"Shit. Sorry, again," Hide looked genuinely distressed as he looked at Kaneki, "I mean, it's not something you have to hide, right? It hasn't been illegal to be a ghoul in years." Kaneki simply raised an eyebrow at this. "Well, okay. On paper at least," Hide amended.

"Well, I better get going. Sorry Hide," Kaneki said as he stood up on slightly shaky legs. Hide got to his feet as well.

"You can't do the interview? You sure?" Hide spoke with less gusto than before, seemingly having realized that he had brought up something quite sensitive.

"No, I can't," Kaneki said with finality, bending to pick his bag up.

"You can be absolutely anonymous, you know," Hide said in a low voice. Kaneki looked up and regretted it the moment his eye landed on the other's face. Hide had his mouth in a pout again, and in combination with bunched up eyebrows and wide eyes he made the perfect picture of pleading innocence. Kaneki was weak.

"Only if you can guarantee that no-one will know it's me," Kaneki said hesitantly. Why was he agreeing to this? Was he really so desperate for a friend?

"I promise!" Hide raised a hand to his heart and Kaneki found it impossible to doubt the sincerity in the other's eyes.

"Well… alright. But not in school," Kaneki said as he sat down again. Hide followed suit and sat down on his chair with a small smile once again stretched across his lips.

"Okay, no problem. We could go to a café?" Hide said as he picked up his notebook and pen and stuffed them into his bag. Kaneki picked up his cup again, relieved that his hands were no longer shaking, and took a long sip of the coffee. It wasn't very good.

"I know just the place," Kaneki said with a smile of his own.


	2. Chapter 2

They entered a small café with a sign outside that said _Anteiku_ and Hide was immediately charmed. The interior of the café looked cozy but clean, the staff looked professional, and the _smell._ Hide felt the smile on his face grow as the smell of coffee and cake reached his nose.

"Wow, this is cozy! And it smells delicious too! Nice choice Kaneki." Hide exclaimed as they stopped just inside the door. Hide turned to smile at Kaneki and saw him looking towards the counter, where a young girl was talking to a customer. The girl turned her head and looked right at Kaneki, then she quickly glanced at Hide and frowned. Hard. Huh, that wasn't very welcoming. Hide leaned in closer to Kaneki.

"Hey. I don't think she likes us," Hide stage whispered as he started walking towards a free table furthest from the counter, pulling at Kaneki's arm until the other followed. They sat down at a table for two and Hide grabbed the menu, he really could do with something more to fill up his stomach. Kaneki made no move to look at the menu, and kept glancing towards the counter with a small furrow between his brows.

"Hey, man. I'm sure she doesn't _hate_ us or anything," Hide said with a small laugh, trying to dispel the other's sudden troubled mood. Kaneki finally looked at Hide, but the small frown was still there. Hide felt his own smile waver, "I thought you liked this place?"

"Well, I do…" Kaneki said hesitantly, but stopped abruptly as a shadow fell over their table. It was the grumpy girl from the counter.

"What do you want?" She spoke in a clipped tone, pen hovering over her notepad. Hide gave up on his smile completely and frowned.

"Hey! That's not very polite, now is it? And Kaneki here hasn't even looked at the menu yet-"

"He will have a black coffee. And you?" The girl cut him off. Hide looked towards Kaneki, seeing the exasperated look, but no surprise. Ah.

"Oh, you two know each other!"

"Well, yes," she said with badly concealed exasperation. "Now answer, I have other customers to take care of." She impatiently tapped the notepad in her hand and sent an impressively angry look at Hide, considering they had just met.

"Well…. Then I'll have a…" He looked down at the menu as he spoke, trying to decide on something quickly, "Latte with extra cream and strawberry shortcake. Thanks!" He spoke with as much happiness as he could muster and turned his biggest smile up at her. She frowned even harder. Success! Sometimes you had to take pleasure in the small things in life.

"Right," she said and turned around, not even writing anything down on the pad. Hide could hear Kaneki let out a long sigh as she walked off.

"Not best friends then?" He turned a genuine smile towards Kaneki who rubbed a hand over his face.

"No, not really. Or, well… I don't know." Kaneki said and shook his head. "Well. What is the first question?"

"Huh?"

"For the interview? What's the first question you want to ask? Let's get this over with," Kaneki said with a small smile, but Hide could see the tension in his shoulders.

"Oh right!" Hide laughed, he had almost forgotten they were there for schoolwork. Bummer. "Well, let's start with the easy ones; how old are you?" Hide rummaged in his backpack as he spoke, grabbing his notebook and a pen.

"18."

"Where are you from?" Hide said while starting to jot down the answers, smiling encouragingly.

"The 20th ward," Kaneki said with a bit less wariness, relaxing ever so slightly.

"Do you have any family?" As soon as Hide asked the question it was clear that this was a touchier subject. His shoulders tensed up again and he lowered his eyes to the table.

"Well… No. No, I don't."

"Okay," Hide said, feeling bad for being the reason for the other's obvious discomfort. He wanted that small smile back. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Kaneki mumbled while scratching at his chin. Hide flailed about for a way to ease the sudden tension when there was the sudden sound of someone clearing their throat right beside him. Hide looked up to see the grumpy waitress standing at their table, serving tray in hand.

"Here's your coffee. And cake. Enjoy." She muttered as she put their order down on the table.

"Thank you!" Hide exclaimed in his happiest voice. Kaneki snorted. Touka turned to leave and Hide could have sworn she was swearing under her breath. When Hide looked over at Kaneki, the other had his hands around the steaming cup of coffee and a small smile on his face. The sight made Hide relax slightly and he picked up his fork.

"By the way, Hide. How did you know-" Kaneki started, but cut himself of. Hide looked up from where he was dicing his cake into bite-sized pieces.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. You are supposed to be the one asking the questions, not me," Kaneki gave a short laugh and picked up his cup of coffee. Hide blamed the warm café for the small blush that rose in his cheeks at that.

"Nah, I think you have more than earned a question in return," Hide said and stuffed a piece of cake in his mouth. It was good.

"Well… How did you know that I was a…" Kaneki cast a quick look around and lowered his voice, "Ghoul?"

"Hm? Oh, well… I had never seen you eat. Or really talk to anyone at school. And then we had that lecture about ghoul history and it was the first time I had ever heard you talk in class, and… I guess it just clicked," Hide said casually, not wanting to make Kaneki feel cornered again, and decidedly _not_ wanting to mention that he had been watching the other quite intently during the last term for more personal reasons. It was _definitely_ a bit too warm inside right now.

"Oh god. Am I so bad at this?" Kaneki put down the cup he was holding and started fiddling with his fingers nervously, glancing in the direction of the counter with the small frown again.

"Not really, no. I mean, I don't think anyone else has realized," Hide said cheerfully, trying to put the other at ease.

"But _you_ did," Kaneki said and turned his attention back to Hide.

"Well… yes," Hide said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Why? Are you gonna tell anyone? Everyone?" Kaneki looked at him with wide eyes and Hide started to think this might have been a bad idea.

"I won't tell anyone," Hide said decisively, actively avoiding the first question about _why_. Kaneki gave a small nod and lowered his eyes back to the table. Hide cleared his throat. "You know, you don't have to do this interview if it's making you uncomfortable?"

"No, it's okay. I… trust you," Kaneki said while still glancing down, a small blush coloring his ears. That really wasn't fair.

"Thank you," Hide said, injecting those two words with as much sincerity as he could. A silence settled over them for a while, but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable; Kaneki sipping at his coffee and Hide enjoying his strawberry shortcake. To Hide's surprise Kaneki was the one who broke it.

"Soo… I'm guessing that's not all the questions you have?"

"Well, no. But do you want to continue now?" Hide didn't want to continue with the questions if it stressed Kaneki out. That was _not_ the reaction he was hoping for from the other.

"Why not?" Kaneki looked at him over the rim of his cup.

"No, I just thought… Nevermind!" Hide laughed and rubbed at his neck. He quickly glanced down at his papers, looking over the questions. "Okay, what type of kagune do you have?"

"Eh… A rinkaku," Kaneki said shyly, once again looking down at the table. Hide quickly wrote down the answer.

"Okay, now it's your turn."

"Wha-?" Kaneki looked back up at Hide with a surprised expression. _Cute._

"Well, I asked you a question. So now it's your turn," Hide said with a smile, stuffing the last piece of the cake into his mouth. Kaneki laughed.

"Is that how it works?"

Hide nodded and indicated with his hand for Kaneki to get on with it.

"Well. I don't know what to ask really. You should have given me some time to prepare…" Kaneki said as his cheeks turned slightly pink. "Um… How old are you?"

"Heh! That's the best you got?" Hide laughed, but felt some pity for Kaneki when the other's face went from pink to red. "Okay, I'm also 18! So we match!"

"Right, okay," Kaneki said and took a long sip of his coffee. Hide mimicked him with his own latte.

"That's all?" Hide said with a smirk.

"You said one question!" Kaneki exclaimed in a scandalized tone. Hide snickered.

"Weeeell, I did ask you two before you could get started, didn't I?"

"I guess so… But _I_ don't have any paper to hand in on the subject of the _great_ Hide," Kaneki said with a smile.

"Oh! A joke! Then this could be a personal project! 'The Interesting Life of Hideyoshi Nagachika', it's gonna be a best seller!"

"Is that so?" Kaneki said with a laugh, "Well then, the first thing people have to know is clearly what your favorite color is."

"Is that a jab at my fabulous fashion sense?" Hide gestured with his hands, indicating his bright yellow jacket, matching hair, and orange earphones.

"No," Kaneki drawled with a mischievous smile.

"Hey!"

"If you plan to disturb the other patrons, then I must ask you to leave." Hide's laugh stopped short and he turned to see the same angry waitress glaring at them.

"Maybe we should go," Kaneki said with a small voice, getting to his feet.

"Yeah…" Hide frowned at the waitress but followed Kaneki out of the café.

They exited into the street and Hide took a deep breath of fresh air. They started walking towards the subway station together.

"Sorry about that. Touka can be a bit… hard to talk to when you don't know her. Or when you do know her…" Kaneki spoke in a quiet voice, all traces of their earlier merriment gone.

"That's okay. You okay though?"

"Yeah…" Kaneki looked down at his phone and Hide could just pick up on the small sigh that left the other. "Well, I have to go. It was nice talking to you Hide," Kaneki said with a smile as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket and stopped walking.

"Oh. Eh, okay? Yeah, it was nice. Thanks again!" Hide felt a bit taken aback by the other's sudden goodbye. Kaneki smiled at him before turning around and walking back the way they had come. Hide smiled back and turned to continue his walk to the subway station, all in all their first real meeting had gone better than he had dared to hope. Hide suddenly stopped in his track. _Shit, we didn't set up a new time to meet. There's still a lot of questions I haven't asked!_

"Ah, Kaneki!" Hide turned back quickly. "I forgot to-" The street in front of him was empty. Hide looked up and down the street, but there was no sign of the other. "Wow, he must have been in a real hurry," Hide mumbled as he shrugged and continued on his way to the station.


	3. Chapter 3

Kaneki ran back towards Anteiku as fast as he could, Touka's message in the forefront of his mind _"If you don't get your ass back here in 3 minutes, I'm gonna kick it. And your new friend's too!"_ He knew she wouldn't really hurt him, or Hide… probably. He stopped in front of the door into Anteiku and tried to catch his breath while peeking inside. Touka was standing at the counter staring straight at him. Kaneki heaved a deep sigh and squared his shoulders.

When he opened the door he saw Nishio come in from the kitchen, and Touka turning to exchange a few words with him before she entered the kitchen herself, not bothering to acknowledge Kaneki's arrival. Kaneki made his way over towards the back door and nodded to Nishio as he passed, ignoring the big grin on the other's face at his obvious predicament.

When he entered the kitchen he saw Touka leaning on a counter in the back, arms crossed and jaw set.

"What do you think you are doing?" She snapped at him.

"What do you mean?" Kaneki came to a halt a couple of steps in front of her, trying to keep his voice as level and non-threatening as possible.

"You know full well what I mean! Don't play dumb!" Touka yelled. _It was worth a shot._

"It's nothing bad I promise! I'm just helping him with a school project," Kaneki said while holding up his hands in a placating manner.

"By revealing yourself! You idiot!" Touka said and took one threatening step in his direction, Kaneki immediately backed away.

"He won't tell anyone," Kaneki said with as much conviction he could muster while pinned under her angry glare.

"Isn't that what you said last time?" Her suddenly tired voice made him freeze.

"Well… He won't! I think…" Kaneki hesitated. Touka's shoulders dropped.

"Whatever. I don't care. But you clean up your own mess this time," Touka said as she started walking back towards the front of the store.

"Yeah…" Kaneki looked back down at the floor, not wanting to focus on Touka's slumped shoulders or tired eyes. "Thanks for worrying." Touka didn't answer.

-

Kaneki entered Asian History with equal measures of excitement and fear. After seeing no signs of disgust or panic in the eyes of the few students that looked up at him when he entered he felt himself relax slightly. So Hide had kept his promise of not telling anyone. _Yet._

"Hey!" A cheerful voice called out and Kaneki turned around, only to come face to face with Hide. _Too close._

"Oh." The small sound escaped his lips before he could stop it, and he took a step back while his cheeks burned. "H-Hide. Hello."

"Haha! Hello. What's up man? How you doing?" Hide smiled at him and slung an arm over his shoulders as he walked them over to a free space in the back of the classroom.

"I'm fine, thanks. Y-you?" Kaneki wasn't used to small-talk, and he _definitely_ wasn't used to people touching him so casually in a friendly manner.

"I'm great!" Hide laughed as they sat down. The teacher came in and everyone quieted down. The class passed by quickly, Kaneki couldn't help but glance up from time to time at the strange, overly happy, human who had inserted himself into Kaneki's life. He couldn't keep the small smile from his face.

As the class ended Kaneki packed his things and stood up before looking down at Hide who seemed to be jotting down the last notes from the lecture. He hesitated; what was the correct way to part ways? Should he just go?

"Eh… Bye then?" Kaneki mumbled out and turned to leave.

"Oh! Wait!" The sudden shout made Kaneki jump and he turned back towards Hide with wide eyes. "Haha, sorry! But I wanted to ask if you had time after school today?" Kaneki opened his mouth to answer that he was free, before closing it again. Why did Hide want to hang out? They barely knew each other. He should be more careful than this. Hadn't Touka berated him time and time again for being too trusting? A sudden flash of last night's news report about an attack on a ghoul floated to the forefront of his mind. Hide seemed to realize his hesitation and hastily added, "I didn't have time to finish the interview yesterday! Are you still willing to help out?"

"Oh… Yes. Okay, I can," Kaneki said, unable to mask his relief. Anonymous interview. Right. That was okay.

"Great! Should we meet at the school cafeteria again at five?" Hide asked with a big smile.

"Sure," Kaneki said with a smile of his own and turned to leave again, not feeling as awkward this time.

-

They met up in the cafeteria, but decided to walk to a café nearby. They decided that they _definitely_ needed better coffee than the cafeteria had to offer, but Hide was a bit weary of going back to Anteiku and, as he put it " _Annoy your friend even more."_ Kaneki decided that it was probably for the best and so they found themselves entering a big and seemingly popular café close to the university. The first floor was almost full, but the second floor was mostly quiet, and they found a small table in the back after ordering at the counter. Hide had decided on a cappuccino with extra sugar and some kind of pastry, while Kaneki had his usual plain black coffee.

"What is that?" Kaneki indicated towards Hide's pastry, which was halfway to the other's mouth.

"Eh? It's a pastry!" Hide lowered the food and smiled at Kaneki, who rolled his eyes.

"I know what a pastry is Hide. I mean; what kind is that? What is it called?"

"Oh! Sorry, man! It's a cinnamon roll," Hide said as he waved the pastry in the air. Kaneki squinted to get a better look at it.

"So… basically like a bun with lots of cinnamon and sugar?"

"Essentially, yes. Why?" Hide asked with some confusion in his voice.

"Well… I just think it's interesting. I've never tast- …seen one before. Is it good?"

"Yes, I like it!" Hide said and followed it up with a big bite of the bun, smiling despite the sugar on his face. Kaneki couldn't help but smile back. "Do you want to eat human food?"

Kaneki started, suddenly feeling some of the trepidation coming back. He wondered why it bothered him so much at being reminded of the differences between him and the boy sitting on the other side of the table.

"Ah, I- I guess so? Yes, I would want that," Kaneki said with a small voice, suddenly not feeling like he was able to meet Hide's gaze.

"Sorry if that came out of the blue! That is actually one of the questions for the interview. Hang on a sec…" Hide bent down and rummaged in his bag. He put the same notebook and pen on the table before smiling up at Kaneki again, scratching the back of his neck. "Is it okay if we start with the questions?"

"Oh, yes, off course. That's why we're here, isn't it?" Kaneki tried to ignore the feeling of disappointment rising inside him. Of course Hide didn't want to simply talk; he only wanted to finish his assignment. Kaneki was naïve if he tried to fool himself into anything else.

"So you would want to try human food?" Hide said as he started writing in his book. Kaneki shrugged, trying to feign disinterest. He was not overly keen on the subject; Hide might know that he was a ghoul, but he had no intention of telling the other that he had once been a human as well. He was sure that the other saw him as enough of a monster as it was. No need to make things worse.

"I guess. It would be interesting to see what all the fuss is about," Kaneki said while indicating Hide's pastry.

"Heh, yeah, I understand that… What would you like to try first?"

"What food?" Kaneki asked, Hide nodded.

"Well, maybe… a hamburger," Kaneki said slowly, picking up his cup to take a sip of the coffee.

"A hamburger? Why?" Hide said with a surprised look on his face. Kaneki took a long gulp of the coffee, buying himself some time. He couldn't tell Hide about his mother's hamburgers and how desperately he wanted to taste them again. That would be giving too much away.

"I think they look like they would taste good," Kaneki said while scratching his cheek. Hide simply nodded with a thoughtful expression on his face.

A group of people came up on the second floor and sat down a couple of tables away from them, talking loudly. Kaneki kept his eyes on the group, trying to listen in on what they were talking about. The word _ghoul_ registered in his ears and he instinctively inched a bit further away from the loud group. The news repost yesterday had said that the ghoul had been attacked by a group of students…

"Oh, you watched the news yesterday, didn't you?" Hide said in a low voice, eyes going from Kaneki to the group of people, and back.

"Yeah, well… Yes," Kaneki said with hesitation, remembering his small doubt about Hide himself.

"I did too. Man, that's scary! Just because they can't fight back some people seem to think that they are fair game!" Hide said in an angry voice. Real anger. Kaneki felt a bit ashamed that he had doubted the other, however small that doubt had been. He also felt touched at the other's indignation over how his _kind_ was treated.

"Well, it's not too long ago that ghouls weren't even recognized as sentient beings, you know? This is an improvement," Kaneki said, not being completely successful at keeping the bitterness out of his tone.

"I guess… But still. That sucks..." Hide said sulkily.

"You can say that," Kaneki laughed. Hide frowned and looked down at his cup. "What?"

"Well, it's just…" Hide said slowly. This was the first time Kaneki had seen him hesitate. "Please be careful? And if something _does_ happen, then please protect yourself?"

"Hide! You know I can't do that!" Kaneki said in indignation, despite the blush on his face. Was Hide worried? For _him_?

"Well, that's not fair! You should be able to defend yourself!" Hide pouted.

"It's not that easy… If ghouls were allowed to activate their kagune in any situation, then that would lead to a lot of grey areas, wouldn't it?"

"But in self-defense!"

"Yeah… Well, I will just have to make sure to keep out of trouble then, don't I?" Kaneki said with a smile, trying to put the other at ease. If someone decided that he was a target, there was very little he could do; he was no allowed to harm a human under any circumstances, he was no allowed to activate his kagune or kakugan in the presence of a human, and he had very little hope of reaching a sympathetic ear if he called the police. Ghouls were legal, yes, but that did not mean that they were accepted. Hide smiles in response to his words, but it didn't really reach his eyes.

"That sound like a good plan."

"Well…" Kaneki said, trying to change the subject, but drew a blank. Instead, he wrung his hands and looked into his cooling cup of coffee with a frown.

"Well indeed! Should we continue with the next question?" Hide asked with newly-found energy, all earlier traces of being troubled erased from his face. He must have seen Kaneki struggling and taken pity on him.

"Y-yes. Sounds good," Kaneki said while sending Hide a grateful smile.

"Great! Then…" Hide looked down at his notebook, scanning the papers. The sun coming in from the windows lit up his hair like a halo. Kaneki did his best not to stare. "Here! Does fabricated meat taste the same?"

"Huh? Why?" Kaneki asked, trying to mask the sigh that escaped him at being brought back to reality.

"Well, not a lot of studies were made regarding how ghouls actually thought the stuff tasted before it was marketed. So, is it nice grub?"

"Well, the taste doesn't really matter, now does it? It works, and that's what matters," Kaneki said in a matter-of-fact way. He was never comfortable talking about his… eating-habits in front of a human, never mind _this_ human.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Hide said with a frown. Maybe Kaneki hadn't done such a good job with hiding his bitterness. "Oh!"

"What?!" Kaneki looked around hastily, trying to find the reason to Hide's sudden exclamation. His eyes instinctively focused on the loud group of people neraby, but they didn't seem to take any notice of the two of them.

"Haha, no, I just remembered! You haven't asked me any questions!" Hide laughed.

"Right…" Kaneki said slowly, cursing his own jumpiness.

"So, shoot!" Hide said as he folded his arms on the table and cocked his head to the right. _Cute._

"Okay, hmm… What is your favorite food?"

"Eh?" Hide raised his eyebrows at the question. "Does that matter? I mean you can't…" Kaneki waved him off impatiently.

"Trust me, I know. But that's your question," Kaneki said with a smile.

"Hm… Well…" Hide purses his mouth as he thought and Kaneki did his best to focus on the other's hands instead. "I guess that would be… Pineapple pizza."

"Really? But that's disgusting!" Kaneki exclaimed.

"Doesn't all human food taste disgusting to you thou?" Hide said with a laugh.

"Haha, yeah…" Kaneki laughed as he picked his cup up with one hand and scratched his chin with the other. He took a sip of the coffee and met Hide's eye as the other looked at him with a thoughtful face. Kaneki raised an eyebrow in question, but Hide simply smiled and took a sip from his own cup.

"You eat human food sometimes, right?" Hide asked after a while.

"Yes, I mean, I have to sometimes. To blend in and all," Kaneki put down his cup and fiddled with the handle, not quite meeting Hide's gaze. He wished that they could pretend that they weren't so different from each other, that they had a chance to… to what? What did he want out of this new, strange, friendship with the boy in front of him? He tried to tell himself that he simply wanted to have something in common with the other. _But you aren't so different from each other. You used to be human, after all._ Kaneki quickly pushed that thought away.

"What does it taste like?"

"Huh? What?" Kaneki said as he blinked and looked up at Hide.

"Human food? What does it taste like to you? I mean, I know it tastes gross, but that doesn't really mean anything?"

"Well it depends on the food. It's a bit like chewing rubber, or grease, or cardboard, but mostly a combination of those things. It takes some practice before you can actually swallow food without… well… expelling it again, and even then it's tough to keep a neutral face," Kaneki said with distaste, trying not to think about it too much. How do you explain something so disgusting to someone who has never experienced it?

"Okay, yeah, that sounds horrible," Hide said with a frown. Kaneki laughed at this.

"You can say that! Once, I had to compliment this person's baking, and I said that it was 'nice and crispy. How was I to know that was not the best thing to say about someone's muffin?" Kaneki snickered and covered his mouth with one hand.

"That's horrible!" Hide laughed.

"I did my best!" Kaneki protested with another laugh.

"Gosh, you look so cute when you laugh!" Hide exclaimed with a big smile. Kaneki's face immediately felt like it was on fire.

"…What?" He seemed to have lost his voice and it came out small and strangled. Hide's smile froze as he seemed to realize what he had just said.

"Oh, well… I mean, you smiled and… It was just… Well…" Hide stammered out, a blush rising on his cheeks.

"Oh, okay." Kaneki said and tried to look anywhere but at the blushing boy in front of him. Hide opened and closed his mouth a few more times before seemingly giving up, rubbing a hand over his face harshly. Kaneki kept his eyes down and started twirling his coffee cup on the saucer, feeling increasingly flustered. What _did_ he want from this?

"Do you want seconds?" Hide said suddenly, looking pointedly at Kaneki's empty cup. Kaneki hesitated. _Does he want to spend more time with me? Or is he uncomfortable and is asking if I'm done so we can leave?_

"What time is it?" Kaneki asked, deciding that the second alternative was much more likely.

"It's…" Hide pulled up his phone, "Half past five."

"Ah, I better get going then. I need to get to work…" Kaneki said as he stood up from the table. Maybe he could start his shift earlier today.

"Oh… Okay," Hide said as he also stood up, then he paused cocked his head. "Work? You part-time?"

"Ah, yes, I do."

"Where?" Hide seemed to perk up, embracing the neutral, safe, subject.

"Eh… Anteiku," Kaneki said with some relief as the strange tension between them seemed to dissipate.

"Anteiku…" Hide seemed to mull the name over before his eyes widened in realization. "Isn't that the café we went to last time?"

"Yes, it is," Kaneki said, suddenly feeling a bit ashamed. Had it been wrong of him not to tell Hide that he worked there? Had he made some hidden social error? But Hide simply smiled at him as they started making their way down to the first floor of the café.

"That's so cool! Can I come visit someday when you're there?"

"Eh? When I work?" Kaneki felt another blush creep up his face, the idea of Hide seeing him at work felt… personal.

"Yes! I would love to taste your coffee!" Hide gushed with a big smile. Kaneki cursed Hide's positivity and his own lack of self-control and tried to turn his head away from the other to hide his now burning face.

"Well… If you want to," Kaneki mumbled as they exited the café. They stopped on the street outside.

"We can have the next interview there! I can come near the end of your shift and then we can talk afterwards!" Hide said with enthusiasm. Kaneki couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips in response to the other's positive energy. "I mean… If you want to continue with the interview?"

"That would be nice," Kaneki said with a smile.

"Cool! So, when do you work?"

"This Saturday. Come by at two?"

"Sounds great. See you then! Be careful on your way home!" Hide said with his huge smile before waving good bye. Kaneki smiled back and turned to start making his way to Anteiku. After a couple of meters he stopped dead in his track. _This was almost like a date, wasn't it?_ He hastily looked over his shoulder and saw Hide looking back as well, still smiling, and when they locked gazes Hide raised a hand and waved. He had a feeling he would give Touka a lot of reasons to yell at him this evening.


	4. Chapter 4

Hide hummed along with the music in his headphones as he made his way down the street towards Anteiku. He had spent the morning trying on different outfits and worrying over his hair before convincing himself that it was just supposed to be a school-interview and nothing else. He had ended up going in jeans and a casual t-shirt that complimented his hair color, he didn't want to overdress and make Kaneki uncomfortable.

He entered Anteiku with a big smile, prepared to not make a fool of himself when talking to Kaneki, what he _wasn't_ prepared for was seeing Kaneki in the café's uniform. He looked _good._ Hide swallowed thickly when he realized that Kaneki was waving to him, a smile on his face. Hide raised his hand slowly in response and made his way over to the counter.

"Hey Kaneki. How's it going?" Hide couldn't really muster up his usual enthusiasm while simultaneously trying to keep his eyes from roaming over the other and his blush from spreading up his neck.

"Hello, Hide," Kaneki said in his smooth voice, still smiling. "Great actually, we have had a lot of costumers all morning!" Hide felt betrayed. That cute positivity and the way Kaneki leaned slightly over the counter to get closer to him as he talked did nothing to help Hide with his composure. _Way to not make a fool of yourself, Hide!_

He was saved from his embarrassment as Kaneki's waitress friend from before entered from the kitchen, Hide recalled her name being Touka.

"Ah! Touka! Nice seeing you!" Hide beamed at her, praising the distraction and the excuse to look away from Kaneki's smiling face. _Calm down Hide!_

"What is he doing here?" Touka deadpanned as she stopped beside Kaneki, completely ignoring Hide's greeting.

"He is interviewing me for a school project," Kaneki said as he leaned back over the counter, straightening up. Hide could suddenly breathe again.

"I can see that," Touka replied drily.

"Well, not right _now,_ " Kaneki laughed. He turned back to face Hide, a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry, Hide. I have to get back to work. I get off in half an hour though, do you want something to drink until then?"

"Um…" Hide tried rebooting his brain. Right, interview. "Yes please! I would love a latte! I can't wait to taste your coffee." Hide breathed a sigh of relief as his voice came out sounding normal, no stammers or embarrassing squeaks.

"O-Okay! It will be right up," Kaneki said with a small blush on his cheeks. Touka looked from Kaneki to Hide and back before snorting and snagging a dishrag up from the counter and starting to violently wipe down the already clean surface. Hide ignored her.

"Thank you," Hide said with emphasis, sparing Touka a quick glance, before he turned to find a table to sit down. He found a free space near the windows and he settled down on the side of the table that gave him a view of the street outside as well as the counter. Kaneki was bustling about the coffee machine while Touka was still wiping down the same spot on the counter, a sour look on her face. She suddenly looked up and met Hide's gaze right on and made no effort to smooth out her expression, in fact the scowl seemed to deepen the longer they looked at each other. Hide tore his eyes away and started to second-guess his choice of coming to Anteiku when a cup was set down in front of him.

"Here's your latte," Kaneki said while smiling down at him, a serving tray in hand and practically glowing in the light from the windows. Hide's doubts vanished without a trace.

"Thank you! It looks delicious."

"Don't praise it before you taste it," Kaneki laughed and Hide obligingly raised the cup and took a small sip.

"It _is_ delicious! You're really good at this!" Hide gushed and reveled in the growing blush on the other's face. If this is what revenge felt like Hide could get used to it.

"T-Thank you, Hide," Kaneki stammered out and bowed his head, seemingly not knowing what to do with himself. "Ah, I better get back to work. Talk to you soon."

Kaneki hastily made his way back to the counter where he immediately started serving the next costumer in line, working together with Touka with practiced ease. Hide sipped his latte and tried to enjoy it as the minutes crawled by. The latte really was good, but he kept thinking about Touka's angry stare and what he could possibly have done to deserve it. Had he made some unknown error and hurt Kaneki? Had he insulted her? Will she convince Kaneki not to talk to him again?

Hide took a deep breath and grabbed his headphones, placing them over his ears and putting on a song that usually helped him to calm down. He just had to wait until Kaneki's shift ended, and then he could talk to him. It would be fine.

It wasn't fine. Hide soon noticed that he couldn't keep his eyes off of Kaneki for more than a couple of minutes, and the other had started to notice if his reaction was anything to go by. Kaneki repeatedly glanced over to where Hide was sitting, and his cheeks went from their normal pale hue to pink to red, until Touka had stalked up to Hide's table and slammed a hand down in front of him. Hide jumped before he carefully removed his headphones and looked up at her.

"What?" Hide asked, keeping his voice neutral. He had no idea how to handle the girl in front of him, and he really didn't want to give her any more obscure reasons to hate him.

"If you're only here to cause trouble, then leave!" She hissed under her breath. Hide could see Kaneki looking over at them from where he was cleaning off another table, clearly debating whether he should intervene or not. He sent the other a quick, small, smile to reassure him and turned his attention back to Touka.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what I've done?"

"You are disturbing the staff! You're not even a paying costumer!" Touka snarled, jerking her head in Kaneki's direction at the word _staff_.

"I have a coffee!" Hide replied indignantly, resolutely ignoring the part about disturbing the staff. He hoped he hadn't made Kaneki too uncomfortable.

"That cup has been empty for the last fifteen minutes. Buy something or get lost," Touka said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Hide idle wondered how she managed to keep her work if this was how she treated costumers. Then again, Hide had seen her interact with other costumers with perfect hospitality.

"Fine," Hide muttered as he snagged up the menu from the table and opened it with unnecessary force. From the corner of his eye he could see Kaneki take a step in their direction, a worried expression on his face, but he stopped in his track when Touka sent him a sharp look.

He briefly considered asking Touka for an in-depth description of the different cakes taste and texture simply to be petty, but decided that he probably should do his best not to make the situation worse. For Kaneki's sake.

"I'll take the cheesecake, and a cup of black tea thanks," Hide said instead, keeping his voice as neutral and polite as he possible could. Touka sneered at him before making her way back to the counter.

After a couple of minutes Kaneki made his way over with Hide's order and put it down in front of him before sitting down in the chair on the opposite side of the table. Hide raised an eyebrow in question.

"My shift ends in five minutes, and apparently I could just as well get out of here now since I'm not doing my work properly," Kaneki said with a wry grin, shrugging his shoulders.

"God! I'm sorry of I got you in trouble by coming here!" Hide felt devastated, now Kaneki surely wouldn't want to talk to him anymore.

"Nah, it's fine. Don't worry," Kaneki assured him with a smile.

"She really doesn't like me, does she?" Hide sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

"Who? Touka?" Kaneki asked with slightly furrowed brows.

"Yeah…"

"Oh, well. I'm sorry," Kaneki mumbled as he looked away from Hide and focused on the street outside.

"Why are you sorry? It's not you who sent me the stink-eye as soon as I stepped into the café!" Hide said with a laugh, trying to bring back Kaneki's smile.

"I- I guess… But she's just trying to protect me. In her own way," Kaneki said, and Hide could detect a note of fondness in the other's voice.

"Protect you? By scaring of your… friends?" Hide stumbled over his words. Does Kaneki see him as a friend? They hadn't known each other for long, maybe that was going too fast.

"Well… There's some history there. I don't know if I wanna talk about it," Kaneki answered in a small voice, fiddling with his hands.

"Hey, no pressure! Sorry if it dragged up something bad," Hide assured the other, cursing himself for once again making Kaneki feel uncomfortable. That seemed to be all he was doing.

"No it- it's okay." Kaneki was still fiddling with his hands as he glanced towards the counter and back. "I have moved schools a lot..."

"Hm? Yeah, you transferred to Kamii last term, right?" Hide asked as he took a sip from his tea.

"Yes. A-And before that I went to this other university, but… W-Well… Someone found out that I was a…ghoul. Someone who I thought was a f-friend." Kaneki glanced up at Hide. "So she is just looking out for me, even if… even if she doesn't have to."

"Oh… I'm sorry," Hide said with sympathy. Had he known that Kaneki has something like that happen to him before he would have been more delicate with bringing the whole 'ghoul-subject' up.

"Yeah…" Kaneki trailed of, he kept his face turned away slightly, appearing to look out the window again.

"But you don't have to worry! I'm not gonna tell anyone!" Hide exclaimed, before frowning. "I realize that doesn't mean much coming from the source of the problem, but…"

"No! No. I trust you," Kaneki said, finally looking Hide in the eyes, and Hide felt the earlier blush threaten to crawl back up above his collar. That simple sentence really shouldn't make him feel so warm.

Hide suddenly noticed that Kaneki was still wearing his work uniform, and this time it was his turn to awkwardly gaze out the window as he tried to sort out his thoughts. He nervously shuffled his feet, and one of them came into contact with his bag. _That's right! The interview!_

"Can I start the interview now?" Hide asked with a little too much enthusiasm. Kaneki blinked at his sudden outburst but nodded. Hide scrambled to get his notebook and pen out and pushed his plate with the cheesecake to the side as he put them down on the table. He

"Right. What do you want to be when you graduate?" Hide asked without preamble, trying to get himself to focus on the questions in front of him instead of the boy he was interviewing.

"Eh?" Kaneki breathed and Hide looked up just in time to catch the other staring at his mouth where he had been tapping the pen against his lips.

"You know, out in the real world. A job?" Hide explained in a somewhat strained tone. _Focus._

"Oh… Well, I haven't really thought much about that…" Kaneki's face was suddenly somber, and Hide felt himself frown.

"How could you not? You're not gonna stay at Kamii forever!"

"….Honestly I never thought I would make it past university," Kaneki mumbled out with an uncomfortable expression.

"What do you mea-" Hide stopped. "Oh…"

Kaneki looked away, lips pressed in a thin line.

"I'm sure you will do fine," Hide said reassuringly, trying to infuse his voice with as much reassurance as he possible could.

"Thanks Hide," Kaneki said with a small, strained, smile. "We will see if someone wants to hire me though."

"Hey! Nowadays ghouls get employed in all kind of places!" Hide proclaimed, trying to lighten the mood again.

"Yeah, jobs created by the government especially _for_ ghouls, since no one would employ one of their own free will," Kaneki muttered, but the air between them felt lighter.

"Maybe not yet, but I think that will change," Hide said with a smile. "And otherwise, I'm sure you could stay here!"

"That's a nice thought," Kaneki said tiredly, but his lips turned up in a small smile.

"Sorry again if these questions are making you uncomfortable," Hide felt the need to apologize again. He did enjoy spending time with Kaneki, but he didn't enjoy reminding the other of the hardships of his life, of which there seemed to be more than Hide had initially been prepared for.

"No, no, it's okay," Kaneki waved him off before glancing up at the clock on the wall.

"Are you gonna run away again?" Hide asked with a smile.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Kaneki looked back at him with a confused expression.

"Well, you always end up running away at the end of our da- …interviews," Hide said, almost slipping up at the end. _They are just interviews! Nothing more!_

"I do not!" Kaneki exclaimed with a small blush. "Okay, maybe I have… I'm sorry." His head suddenly snapped up and he stared right at Hide. "Wait, what were you about to say?"

"Nothing!" Hide laughed awkwardly and rubbed at his neck. "It's your turn to ask a question now!"

Kaneki narrowed his eyes and seemed to think something over before letting out a small sigh. He then straightened up slightly in his chair with a determined look on his face.

"Taking into consideration the people who will be reading my future best seller… I think they would want to know… a- a way to… contact you…" Kaneki's voice tapered out at the end as his confidence gave out, getting replaced by a rising blush in his cheeks. Hide felt his mouth fall open.

"Is that you asking me for my number?" Hide asked with delight.

"Maybe," Kaneki mumbled while keeping his eyes on the ground. "Well, I mean. It would be easier to meet up if you didn't have to ambush me in school every other day."

"You are absolutely right! Hide exclaimed while trying not to sound too eager. "Here, let me grab my phone."


	5. Chapter 5

Kaneki sat at his kitchen table with a cup of coffee in hand and his phone in the other, his homework spread out in front of him. All his attention was currently focused on the message displayed on said phone.

" _Hey, Kaneki! I had a blast hanging out with you yesterday, are you free tomorrow to finish up the interview?_ _H_ "

He read the message again, relishing in the feeling of warmth that spread through his chest at reading that Hide had _fun_ hanging out with him. Kaneki felt his lips twitch up into a smile as he put down his cup to better type out a reply; he didn't want to keep Hide waiting.

" _Hello. I also had a good time yesterday. I am available to_ " Kaneki stopped typing and frowned slightly, maybe that was too formal? He deleted the message and started over, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in his stomach.

" _Hello Hide. I had fun as well! Yes, I'm free tomorrow to meet up. Would 13 at Kamii station work? /Kaneki_ " Not perfect, but it would have to do. Kaneki pressed send before he could overthink things and immediately put the phone down on the table. The whole thing with Hide was only part of the other's homework after all, and he had to focus on his own assignments. Kaneki grabbed the closest book and opened a page at random, staring at the text without taking anything in. The phone buzzed and Kaneki held out for three seconds before snatching the phone up and opening the message. _I'm just going to answer this. Then I'm going to study._

" _Great! Hm, is 15 okay? I have some errands to run first_ … _H_ "

Kaneki stared at the message, wondering how someone could be so cute even through text. He tapped out an answer and then stopped. " _It's a date!_ " Kaneki stared at his answer, feeling his face heat up as he read the words over and over again. He couldn't do it. He hastily erased the message and typed out a short " _Sounds good! /Kaneki_ " before sending it, slumping back in his chair and releasing a long breath of air.

Kaneki's smile suddenly faltered as he recalled what Hide had written in the first message, he wanted to meet up to _finish_ the interview. He would no longer have a reason to see the other. Off course he would meet up with Hide the next day, the mere thought made him giddy in anticipation, but he would also have to work on an excuse to see him _again_. Maybe he could just ask? Kaneki shook his head as he dismissed it. That was for braver people than him, and besides, what would he say? "Hey, Hide! I know we only met up because of your homework but I might like you a bit? Would you like to hang out?" Kaneki let out a snort and scrubbed his face with his hands, feeling pathetic. He had only known Hide for about a week, he had no right to ask the other for anything. His phone buzzed in his hand and he raised it to look at the new message before even making a conscious decision to do so.

" _I can't wait! Remember to prepare some questions as well! H_ "

Kaneki smiled and felt his face heat up. _Too cute!_ He looked over all the book spread out in front of him on the table and then glanced outside; the sun was already setting. _This isn't working._ Kaneki took a deep breath as he stuffed his phone in his pocket and pushed his chair back to stand. He was clearly too distracted to do homework, and he knew he wouldn't come up with a magical solution to his Hide-problem in the upcoming minutes, so why not try clearing his head with some fresh air? He quickly put on a jacket and shoes, stepping out of the door before he had time to talk himself into spending more time sitting around and doing nothing. He tapped out an answer to Hide's message as he descended the stairs, not wanting to leave the other hanging for too long.

" _I will. Thank you for the reminder! See you tomorrow. /Kaneki_ "

Kaneki got down to the ground floor and started walking in a random direction, trying to sort through all his racing thoughts. The evening was clear and some lingering heat from the day still clung to the air, making it the perfect weather for a walk. Kaneki took a deep breath and lowered his shoulders, looking up towards the sky with a small smile.

He stopped when he came to a fork in the road, trying to decide if he simply wanted to wander aimlessly, or if he wanted to go to the mall close by that contained one of his favorite bookshops. The bookshop won out and Kaneki turned left as he continued walking in a slow pace, occupying himself with calculating if he could afford to buy any new books this month, and if so, how many. He felt himself relax the longer he walked and congratulated himself on his decision to take a step back from his racing thoughts; his homework and his confusing thought surrounding Hide suddenly seemed small and manageable as he stretched his legs. _It would all work out._

Too soon, he found himself in front of the mall, but instead of walking directly to the bookstore in the back, he stopped in front of a small café he had never noticed before. It was located in a corner, with small tables and a lot of plants covering the walls and floor. It looked absolutely adorable. Kaneki's thoughts immediately went to Hide, and before he had made a conscious decision he had his phone in his hand and had started typing out a message.

" _Hello Hide! I just found a very cute café at a mall, maybe we could meet up there tomorrow? /Kaneki_ " He took a quick photo of the outside of the café and sent that as well, hoping that Hide didn't find him too obnoxious when he sent another message so soon.

Kaneki made his way into the bookstore and quickly located a couple of books he had had his eyes on for a while, not giving him any time to second-guess himself he purchased them and exited the store. When he exited the mall it had gone completely dark and Kaneki felt some tension creeping back. The streets were all but deserted and the knowledge that he was sure to be one of the strongest creatures out in the vicinity didn't make him feel any safer.

If this had been a couple of years ago, before the "legalization" of ghouls; then he would have felt much more at ease. He knew how to fight ghouls, had learnt it the hard way, but _humans_. Humans were another matter altogether; he had no way of fighting back and he had no support in the law. If humans decided to attack him then he had very little to say about it. Kaneki had heard enough horror stories of ghouls being innocently accused of hurting a human; it didn't matter how small the injury was, if a ghoul was accused of hurting a human they had to be killed. For everyone's safety. It was the price they paid to be allowed to live openly with the humans, even if in reality not a lot had changed.

Kaneki suddenly wanted nothing more than to get home to safety. He cast a quick look over his shoulder as he tried to push down on his rising feelings of unease and almost jumped in surprise as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He quickly snatched it up with slightly unsteady hands, cursing his bad nerves. He had managed to work on a lot of his… "hang-ups" that had developed during his time at Aogiri, but his slight paranoia was not one of them. He looked down at the phone as he took long, calming, breaths and felt himself relax slightly when he saw that it was Hide who had replied to his message.

" _Yo! Oh, it looks amazing! We should def go there! Good call! Where is it? H_ "

Kaneki's lips twitched up into a small smile as he felt warmth flood his chest. Hide didn't think he was annoying. _Stop overthinking everything_. He was distracted enough by reading the message and thinking of a good reply to not pay any attention to the sound of footsteps falling in line behind him. He had typed out a " _Great! It's in Kamii mall, in th_ " when he suddenly felt something connect with the back of his head, hard.

Kaneki stumbled, completely unprepared, and closed his eyes as he concentrated on not activating his kagune or kakugan, trying his best not to give himself away. He had moved to this neighborhood fairly recently and had no desire to move again because word got out about his _condition_.

Before he had time to turn around to face whoever had hit him, another blow connected with his back and Kaneki fell forward. He braced his fall with his arms and winced when he felt the skin break as it dragged against the asphalt. As he hit the ground a single though floated to the front of his mind; _I promised Hide to be careful. He will be disappointed._

"Hey! Where do you think you are going?!" An angry voice called from above him. Kaneki looked up and saw two men staring down at him, both wearing identical sneers of disgust.

"I'm sorry, what are you doing? Who are you?" Kaneki said while trying to keep his face as neutral as possible. He had to try and avoid any further confrontation as best he could. If worst came to worst, he would try to run.

"Playing stupid huh? You know what we are doing," one of the attackers spit out, reaching down and grabbing the front of Kaneki's jacket. The scruffs on his knuckles told Kaneki that this had been the one who punched him.

"What have I done?" Kaneki said incredulously while he allowed the man to drag him to his feet. The man holding his jacket nodded towards the second, smaller man who hadn't said anything up until now.

"He saw a government postman leave something at your apartment. A package. Two times this month." The disgust in the man's voice was clear as day as he spit out the accusation and Kaneki couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at being held so close to his face.

"What? You thought no one would notice? You monster," the smaller man who had remained silent growled out. Kaneki did his best to put on a scared expression. As if these weak humans could hurt him even if they tried. They weren't what he was afraid of right now; it was them reporting him as a dangerous ghoul to the CCG. _That_ could really hurt him.

"It's not what you think! I'm a freelance scientist for the government," Kaneki stammered out, raising his hand with the book bag and doing his best to look harmless.

"No? You seemed to take the earlier punched pretty well for a scientist." The big man jeered at him before looking thoughtful. He suddenly tightened his grip on Kaneki's jacket and forced him up on his toes, before growling out "Punch me."

"I don't want to fight you!" Kaneki exclaimed, suddenly feeling a lot less secure in the situation. "I don't know what you think you know, but you have made a mistake, please let me go."

"Just hit me. Then we can go to the police. If you are not _registered_ then we will apologize," the big one sneered. The smaller man nodded along, keeping his angry eyes on Kaneki.

"I just wanna go home, please," Kaneki begged, hoping that he sounded pathetic enough for them to give up. He couldn't hit him. If he did and they went to the police they would find out that he was in fact registered as a ghoul, and then he would be arrested, if they didn't simply shoot him on the spot for attacking a human.

"Haha! It's begging!" The smaller man laughed. Taking a step closer. _This is not going well._ Kaneki cast a look around for a possible escape route when suddenly his vision became obscured by smoke.

"Hey! Should you really use that?" The big man said as he loosened his grip on Kaneki's jacket, for the first time he sounded uncertain.

"It's okay. It won't harm anyone. Anyone that matters at least," the smaller man laughed and Kaneki felt all the blood drain from his face as he recognized the smell of the smoke. _RC-suppressant gas._

"Wait, I don't-" Kaneki started out between coughs, feeling the energy drain from his limbs even as he did his best not to take a deep breath. _Now he was in serious trouble. How had they managed to get their hands on something like that?_

"Disgusting!" The smaller man interrupted him and seemed to finally gain enough courage to approach him. The punch connected with the side of Kaneki's face and he immediately tasted blood. He caught sight of his eye patch falling towards the ground as his head snapped to the side.

"Oooh! God! Look at it! Look at its _eye_!" The smaller man screeched. Kaneki quickly brought a hand up to cover his eye, knowing he couldn't let a human see his kakugan. The big man suddenly let go of his jacket and pushed him roughly. Kaneki stumbled back a couple of steps, dropping his bag containing the new books and stepping on his eye patch. His legs felt so weak. He had forgotten how horribly effective the RC-suppressant gas was at weakening ghouls.

"You monster! There's no place for you here!" The big man growled.

Kaneki turned to run, but he only made it a couple of steps before he felt someone grab his arm and twist it behind his back. He could hear the pop as his shoulder dislocated at the force. It was far from the worst injury Kaneki had ever received, but it wouldn't heal. _It won't heal, it won't heal, it won't heal._ Kaneki felt a shudder go through his whole body as the disturbingly familiar thought patterns from years before started to creep back into his head. It was a long time since he had lost control over himself, and he wasn't going to start now. He couldn't afford to hurt the humans, he couldn't fight back; if he did, he risked hurting one of them, and then it was all over for him. It was even longer since Kaneki had felt so helpless. He felt a hand grab his hair and jerk his head around.

"Haha! It's crying! I didn't know they could that," the smaller man laughed in his face, shaking his head with a painfully tight grip on his hair.

"Stop it. You're not fooling anyone. Monsters have no feelings. Gross," the bigger man grunted out, looking at Kaneki with nothing but disgust. "Someone's gotta do something about this _infestation_."

Kaneki saw the big man move and suddenly he couldn't breathe, the punch to his guts knocking out all the air in his lungs. The punch was quickly followed by a kick to the back of his legs, and Kaneki felt his side hit the ground. He coughed as he tried to breathe, and felt his hands twitch from the strain of keeping them still. _Don't fight back. Don't fight back._

He heard a laugh from above him and curled up as best he could. He covered his face with his hands, mostly to conceal the kakugan from view, but also as a last resort to protect himself. He managed to draw a full breath and felt relieved when it wasn't heavy with the RC-suppressant gas.

Another kick landed in his stomach and he coughed out his newly found breath. A kick to his head made him clench his hands harder as he did his best to calm his thoughts. _What is one thousand minus seven? No! No! That's not me anymore. That's not-_

Kaneki felt something hard push down on his hands, and he heard several bones in his fingers break as well as his nose. _Well, it seems to be a choice between dying here or maybe dying at the hands of the CCG later._ The thought didn't entirely sound like his own, but Kaneki was too scared, too much in pain, to notice. He drew a sharp breath and lifted his broken hands away from his face, looking up at his two attackers with a glare.

"What the fuck?" The silent man stammered out and took a step back. Kaneki quickly turned over into a kneeling position, but before he could push himself to his feet he heard a shout that made him freeze.

"Hey! Get away from him!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey! Get away from him!"

Kaneki's eyes widened and he whipped his head around to look in the direction of the voice. There he was; Hide was running up the street with a murderous expression on his face. Relief flooded Kaneki's system.

"Hide," Kaneki rasped out, but he doubted that the other could hear him. That last kick seemed to have done more damage to his mouth than he had realized. The relief suddenly drained out of him as the big man took a step to stand between Kaneki and his approaching rescuer. _What if they attacked Hide?_

"Why? What do you care? It's not human," the big man said in a disdainful voice as the smaller man took a step towards Kaneki and, with a smile, kicked him in the stomach, this time Kaneki couldn't bite back the small groan as he slumped back down to the ground.

"I've already called the police. If you don't wanna get arrested you better scram!" Hide growled out as he stopped right in front of the bigger man. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the smaller man scramble to put the container of RC-suppressant in his back pocket. _So it was illegal then._

"The police won't help this sort of trash," the smaller man piped up, ending the sentence by spitting down at Kaneki. It landed millimeters from his face and Kaneki decided that enough was enough. The RC-suppressant had worn off enough that his limbs no longer felt like jelly, and he forced his way into another crouching position. The big man looked down at him and laughed.

"Where do you think you are going?" But before he could reach down to grab the front of Kaneki's jacket a second time, Hide darted forward and firmly grasped the man's wrist, holding him still.

"Hey. Let him go," Hide snarled and Kaneki blinked in shock. He had not imagined that Hide could sound so… scary. No, that was not the right word… Protective.

"He attacked us first. We were only defending ourselves!" The smaller man said with indignation as Hide and the bigger man stared each other down.

"I recorded the whole thing. Lying won't get you anywhere," Hide said with an impressive amount of disdain. At this, the two men exchanged quick looks. Kaneki took the opportunity to get to his feet, trying to keep from stumbling. He had to make sure that they didn't attack Hide.

Kaneki crouched down slightly, lowered his hands to his sides with his palms up and sent the two men his best murderous glare. If their suddenly pale faces were anything to go by, he succeeded.

"That can of suppressant gas looks awfully empty. What do you say about another round?" Kaneki smirked as he talked, his injuries making his voice come out gravely and rough. Both men took an instinctive step back, looked at each other, looked back at Hide and Kaneki, and then turned and ran. They were turning a corner at the next block before Kaneki allowed himself to relax. He sat down on the ground again with a deep sigh. Hide immediately knelt down in front of him, a small smile on his face.

"Wow! That was almost scary! I didn't know you had it in you!" Hide laughed with relief clear on his face. The smile faltered when he looked Kaneki over, a frown taking its place. "You look like shit, are you okay?"

"I've b-been better," Kaneki wheezed out with a small smile. "Thank you for s-saving me."

"No problem. Can you stand?" Hide looked at him skeptically, placing a careful hand on his shoulder.

"I-I think so," Kaneki said hesitantly. He put his hands down to help push himself up, but winced when they made contact with the ground. _Oh right, broken fingers._ The adrenaline was wearing off, and the pain had started to register. It wasn't the worst pain he had experienced, but it had been long enough since his last fight that it was a bit jarring. Hide looked down at Kaneki's hands and drew in a sharp breath.

"Your fingers!" Hide exclaimed with a pained expression, hands rising to hover above Kaneki's right hand uselessly. "They're broken, aren't they?"

"It-it's okay," Kaneki assured him, but the words only made Hide's worried expression turn angry again.

"It's not okay! You're seriously hurt!" Hide almost shouted before he dragged a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. "I got really scared, seeing you on the ground like that…"

Kaneki lowered his head and looked down at his feet. Out of all the punches he had taken in the last hour, the realization that he had scared Hide felt the most. "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," Hide sighed. Kaneki looked up and found Hide gazing down at him with kind eyes and a sad smile. Kaneki felt his own mouth twitch into a small smile. "Here let me help you," Hide said as he bent down and grabbed a hold of Kaneki's wrist, being careful not to jostle his hand to much. Kaneki gathered his feet under him and together they managed to get him standing.

"T-thanks," Kaneki ground out from between clenched teeth as he swayed slightly. The two men had really made a number on his head and stomach and he tried to blink away the black spots in his vision as he took a couple of deep breaths. _Oh, and broke at least one rib_. Hide looked at him worriedly and Kaneki did his best to stand upright, and stay that way.

"Should I call an ambulance or something?" Hide asked in a worried tone as he took a step closer and grabbed Kaneki's shoulders to help keep him upright. "Are your shoulders hurt? Or can I touch here?"

"N-No ambulance. And yeah; it's fine. W-we should go home. To my ap-apartment," Kaneki stuttered out, sending Hide a small smile that felt a bit too strained. Hide frowned.

"Mine is closer! Should I carry you?" Hide asked with a slightly skeptical look. Looking at Hide's thin arms Kaneki doubted that the other could carry him very far even if he wanted to, but he was touched by the sentiment.

"No, it's fine. Thanks though," Kaneki said, his lips relaxing into a genuine smile. Hide looked skeptical but lowered his hands from Kaneki's shoulders and took a step back without arguing. Kaneki hesitated slightly before taking a step forward, immediately regretting it as his knee almost gave out. Hide immediately dove forward to grab his shoulders again, holding him up.

"Are you sure you're okay? Aren't you supposed to heal or something? Was it that… what did you call it? …suppressant gas?" Hide asked in a worried tone and Kaneki hated that he made the other worry so much. _Your time away from violence has made you soft_. Kaneki immediately pushed the thought away, having learnt a long time ago that listening to those thoughts resulted in nothing good.

"Yeah, I… I just need to… eat…" Kaneki mumbled out, once again averting his eyes to the ground. "The effects will wear off."

"Oh! Good," Hide said easily and Kaneki could breathe again, or as well as could be expected with at least one broken rib. "Is that why you wanna go to your apartment? You have some… food there?"

"Yeah," Kaneki said in a low voice, keeping his head down, but he could feel a small smile tug at his lips at the other's tactfulness. There were no disgust in Hide's voice.

"Okay! Then let's go! Let me help you, though," Hide said with a smile Kaneki could _hear_. He couldn't keep himself from glancing up at the boy standing beside him and felt his eyes widen as he met a gaze with nothing but kindness and understanding. _What did I ever do to deserve such a friend?_ Hide took one of Kaneki's arms and slung it over his shoulder carefully, making sure it didn't hurt him too much. Kaneki allowed himself to lean on Hide slightly, appreciating the support.

They stumbled all the way home; the relatively short distance feeling much longer than it had any right to. When they arrived at Kaneki's apartment complex they stopped in front of the stairs and Hide turned to look at Kaneki with a teasing smile.

"I think I can manage you up the stairs. Which floor?"

"Wha-" Kaneki started but cut himself off when he realized what Hide meant. "Oh… the third."

"Come on! Get up!" Hide bent down slightly in front of Kaneki, motioning for his back and Kaneki looked around hastily to confirm that they were alone on the street. He felt his face heat up as he scrambled to get up Hide's back and was infinitely grateful that the other couldn't see his face at that moment. When Kaneki had positioned himself so that he wouldn't fall off, Hide grabbed a hold of Kaneki's legs and straightened back up.

"Are you okay? It doesn't hurt too much?" Hide asked with concern clear in his voice.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine, I've had a lot worse," Kaneki stammered out, trying to reassure the other.

"That doesn't automatically make this any easier," Hide said in a gruff tone as he started climbing the stairs, the steps jolting through Kaneki's aching body.

"I guess not," Kaneki mumbled out as he buried his face in Hide's neck and focused on his breathing as another of Hide's steps jostled his ribs. They were silent after that, the only sound being Hide's increasingly heavy breaths as they climbed higher and higher. Kaneki was silently impressed at the other's determination. _He's doing it for me._ The thought made Kaneki's face flush.

"We're here!" The sudden sound of Hide's voice so close to his ear made Kaneki jerk back slightly and he felt his blush deepen as he realized that he had kept his face nestled into Hide's neck all the way up. He had never really realized how good Hide smelled before, it was calming.

"T-thanks. You can put me down now," Kaneki mumbled out, eager to get some distance between them. Hide did as he asked and carefully bent down to allow Kaneki to climb off. They walked the last couple of meters to Kaneki's apartment together, Hide staying close to his side.

As they entered the apartment Kaneki glanced over at Hide, the sight of him in his hallway feeling slightly surreal, and he hesitated slightly. He felt inexplicably nervous about showing Hide his apartment. Would he think it was messy? Ugly? Hide didn't seem to notice his hesitation, but simply took off his shoes and jacket as if he had been there a million times before.

"O-oh. Welcome to my home?" Kaneki gestured into the small apartment awkwardly, leading the way inside, feeling relieved that he could walk a bit steadier now.

"This is really cozy!" Hide said with a smile as he looked around the room with open interest. The living room was small and sparsely decorated, but what it lacked when it came to interior design it made up for in books. _Books._

"Shit! I forgot my books!" Kaneki exclaimed before slapping himself in the face, wincing as he jostled his still-broken fingers.

"Careful!" Hide chided, grabbing Kaneki's wrist and lowering it from his face. "And you're swearing now? Who are you?"

"But! I forgot my books! God, and they were really expensive too…" Kaneki complained, trying to ignore the warm feeling of Hide's hands on his wrists.

"Do you mean these books?" Hide smirked as he raised a hand holding a ruffled plastic bag. The look on Hide's face told Kaneki that the other knew very well that he meant those books.

"Oh! How did you…? Hide! You're the best!" Kaneki exclaimed with a big smile, feeling the last of the tension leave him as he looked at the kind boy in front of him. The kind, _blushing_ boy in front of him.

"I-it's nothing. Here!" Hide thrust the bag towards Kaneki and averted his eyes. Kaneki looked at the bag, looked down at his mangled hands, and then back at Hide. The other seemed to notice that something was wrong because he glanced back towards Kaneki and his mouth dropped open.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! God! Why haven't you eaten something yet?!" Hide promptly put the bag down on the floor and ushered Kaneki in the direction of the small kitchen. Kaneki couldn't keep himself from laughing at the other's embarrassment.

"Fine. Fine!" Kaneki said over his shoulder, before he felt his smile slip of his face. "Could- Could you wait out here? I don't really want you to… See…"

Hide cast him a surprised look before a soft smile formed on his lips. "Of course."

Kaneki entered the kitchen and ate as fast and as silently as he could, being careful to clean himself off afterwards. When he went back into the living room Hide was sitting on his couch, reading the back cover of a book. Kaneki felt his cheeks heat up slightly as he took in the sight of Hide looking so at home in _his_ apartment. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. _Thank God the ribs have already started healing._

Hide looked up from the book in his hand and smiled when he saw Kaneki. Kaneki smiled back and hoped that his face wasn't as read as it felt.

"You done? Come here," Hide demanded as he patted a spot next to him on the small sofa. Kaneki nodded as he went over and sat down, startling slightly when Hide immediately grabbed his hands and turned them over, looking at them intently. Kaneki wondered if it was possible for ghouls to spontaneously combust out of sheer embarrassment.

"Hide, what-"

"Look!" Hide interrupted him, holding one of Kaneki's own hands up for him to look at.

"It's… my hand?" Kaneki asked incredulously, hoping that Hide wasn't about to ask about his nails. He didn't want to open that particular can of worms right now.

"You can actually _see_ it healing! This is so cool!" Hide gushed and pulled both of Kaneki's hands so that they were an inch from his face, staring at them in wonderment. Kaneki desperately hoped that Hide couldn't feel his heart rate through his wrists. _Why is he so cute?!_

"Yeah, they… do that," Kaneki managed to mumble out. _Smooth, Kaneki_. __

"How nice wouldn't it be if all my injuries would just disappear in front of my eyes! Not that I get hurt that much…" Hide trailed off and Kaneki was sad to see the other's happy expression die down.

"What?" Kaneki asked with a frown, wondering what triggered this sudden change in mood.

"Why didn't you fight back?" Hide mumbled out, lowering Kaneki's hands, but not letting them go.

"You know I can't do that," Kaneki said uncomfortably. He knew that Hide was well aware of the laws and what consequences it would have if he broke them.

"You promised to be careful," Hide said in a low voice as he looked at Kaneki with furrowed brows and sad eyes.

"I'm sorry," Kaneki said with real sorrow. He had made the other worry and he hated that, Hide had done nothing to deserve such a bad friend that only got him in trouble. Kaneki lowered his head and stared down at his hands, which were still held in Hide's.

"Hey, no, that was unfair. It's not your fault. I just got scared," Hide reassured him as he absentmindedly rubbed a thumb over Kaneki's knuckles. "I can't believe that people would do something like that."

"Yeah… I think they are just scared, and this is their way of feeling in control. A lot of people have suffered at the hands of ghouls. Now they have an opportunity to get revenge," Kaneki mused out loud and Hide looked at him in surprise.

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened to you, is it?"

"Well…" Kaneki trailed of uncomfortably. "Not really? …But, more importantly, how did you know where I was? And that I was in trouble?" Kaneki asked, trying to change the subject. And it had been awfully convenient that Hide simply happened to pass by where he was being attacked at just the right time. Hide frowned at him for changing the subject, but sighed as he seemed to drop it, for now.

"You sent me a message, or a part of a message really. You said that you had found that café, which we should still totally visit," Hide said with a small blush before continuing. "When I asked where it was, you sent a message that said Kamii mall, but it seemed like you had sent it before finishing typing. And then you suddenly stopped answering to my messages. So I… Might have jumped to conclusions? Because I was really scared that something might have happened to you? And I ran out to make sure you were okay? And it was lucky I did! God, I don't wanna think about what could have happened if I hadn't- " Hide rambled on, barely stopping for breath until Kaneki freed one of his hands to place it on Hide's shoulder.

"Thank you, Hide," Kaneki said softly. Feeling warm at the thought that the other had worried about him enough to go on a wild goose chase simply to make sure he was alright.

"You're welcome, Kaneki."

They sat in silence for a while, Kaneki brining his hands over to lie in his own lap and trying to ignore how cold they felt without Hide's hands around them. At least they weren't hurting anymore.

"Hey… Can you show me?" Hide suddenly asked, a small blush visible on his cheeks.

"Hm?" Kaneki looked over at the other with raised eyebrows.

"Your kagune? Or is that like… private?" Hide asked haltingly.

"Not really… but it _is_ illegal," Kaneki deadpanned, one eyebrow rising to his hairline.

"I'm not gonna tell!" Hide exclaimed, a small pout on his face.

"I know you won't," Kaneki said in a soft voice, a smile on his lips as he looked at Hide with fond eyes. Hide met his gaze and seemed to freeze; eyes widening slightly as he stared at Kaneki for a couple of seconds before his whole face turned red.

"Are- are you okay?" Kaneki asked incredulously, raising a hand hesitantly as if to reach out to Hide. He had never seen anyone blush that much, that quickly. _What had happened?_

"Y-yep! Fine! I'm just happy you trust me that much!" Hide stammered out, looking anywhere but at Kaneki. "S-so! Could I? See it? You're kagune, that is?"

"Yeah... Are you sure you're okay though?" Kaneki asked hesitantly, getting to his feet.

"I'm fine. Great," Hide said as he took a couple of deep breaths, seeming to calm down a bit. Kaneki sent him a doubtful expression before tugging up the bottom of his shirt. Hide raised his hand as if to grab Kaneki's arms and stop them. "Not fine! What are you doing?"

"I don't want to destroy my clothes. It's okay, I'm just going to lift it up a bit," Kaneki reassured the other, ignoring the heat he could feel creeping up his face.

He got his t-shirt out of the way and after a last glance at Hide to reassure himself that everything was fine, that he wasn't making a huge mistake and that Hide wouldn't run away screaming when he saw- _No._ This was Hide. The same Hide who had talked to him, laughed with him, saved him, and wanted to be his friend. The same Hide that had given him no reason to doubt him.

Kaneki slowly released his breath and let his kagune unfurl from his back, keeping it suspended slightly off the ground behind him. He glanced up at Hide hesitantly and was met with a beaming face.

"That's so cool! Can I touch it?" Hide asked as he got up from the couch, slowly walking closer to Kaneki, giving him time to say no.

"Why would you want that? It's a weapon," Kaneki said incredulously. It was not a part of himself that he particularly liked.

"Hey, no. It's a limb, right? Like an arm! And it's interesting! I doubt I'll have the opportunity to touch a kagune again," Hide beamed at him and suddenly Kaneki wasn't as sure as to why he hated this part of himself. Like Hide said; it was basically just another limb.

"Well… Okay. But be careful," Kaneki gave in, taking deep breaths to calm himself. It would go fine. He could control them well enough. He wouldn't hurt Hide.

"Thank you!" Hide beamed at him and slowly reached a hand out towards the closest appendage. His touch was feather light and his smile never wavered as he slowly petted it, a fascinated look in his eyes. "It's so soft!"

"Well, now it is," Kaneki mumbled.

"Yeah, you can change their hardness, right? So cool!" Hide gushed and Kaneki smiled.

"Yes, I can," Kaneki said before suddenly frowning, casting a glance towards his window. He had forgotten to cover it. _What if someone walks by?_ "Maybe, we shouldn't…"

Hide looked up and followed his gaze, realization dawning on his face.

"Ah, yeah. Better safe than sorry! Thank you for letting me see it though!" Hide gushed as he took a step back and Kaneki retracted his kagune.

"No worries…" Kaneki trailed off, once again feeling a bit awkward as he straightened out his t-shirt again and glanced at his clock. It was getting late.

"Coffee?" Hide asked and Kaneki looked over at his friend with surprise.

"Don't you have to go home? It's starting to get late." Kaneki didn't necessarily want to be alone so soon after what happened tonight, but he also didn't want Hide to miss out on sleep for his sake.

"I have time for one cup. Come on," Hide reassured him as he started walking towards the kitchen, Kaneki trailing behind him.

"Thank you," Kaneki said softly, hoping that the other understood what he meant. He wondered how many times he would have to thank Hide before it felt even remotely like enough.

"Anytime," Hide answered with a big smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Hide took a deep breath as they entered the small café together; the smell off coffee and baked goods heavy in the air. He glanced over at Kaneki and smiled as he caught the other looking at him, relishing in the small blush that appeared on the other's cheeks.

"What are you gonna have?" Kaneki asked as he stopped beside Hide in front of the full display window, eyes trailing over the assorted baked goods.

"Hm, I think a lemon cake and some black tea, you?" Hide asked happily, before his eyes widened and he scratched at his neck sheepishly. "Oh, haha, sorry!"

"No worries," Kaneki reassured him with a pat on the shoulder. When Hide looked up at the barista behind the counter he noticed that she was looking at Kaneki intently with slightly furrowed brows.

Hide cleared his throat to gain her attention, "A black tea and a lemon cake, thanks."

"Sure thing," She chirped with a trained smile, but Hide saw her glance up at Kaneki several times as she prepared his order. When she was finished she turned her smile fully into Kaneki, who seemed to not have noticed anything strange. Maybe Hide was simply a bit paranoid.

"And what do you want?" She asked in a sweet voice, all smiles and politeness.

"A black coffee thanks," Kaneki said with a small smile.

"Don't you want cream in that?" The barista asked somewhat forcefully, her eyes suddenly turning a bit hard as she looked straight at Kaneki, her smile still in place.

"Eh? Oh, no thank you," Kaneki said with forced politeness. The barista kept looking at him.

"You sure? It will _taste better_." The words were spoken with something too close to anger for Hide's taste. _What was their problem_? Hide looked at Kaneki and saw that the other had gone awfully pale under the rude barista's stare.

"A-ah, well then, maybe I wi-" Kaneki mumbled out, wringing his hands. Hide decided to intervene. He had seen enough of people treating his friend badly during the last couple of days to last him a lifetime.

"Kaneki! You know you are lactose intolerant! Do go agreeing to stranger's demands just like that!" Hide patted him on the shoulder and sent the barista a scathing look, clearly conveying that their _tips_ weren't appreciated. "I think my friend ordered a black coffee?"

"Yes, of course," the barista said with a cheerful voice, as if nothing had happened. "It will be right up!"

"Thanks," Kaneki mumbled as he took a step closer to where Hide stood. Hide tried not to read too much into the action, sure that the other simply wanted some reassurance.

They got their drinks and Hide's cake and found a table as far away from the counter as they possibly could. After a couple of seconds of silence where they both sipped on their hot drinks, Hide could no longer keep quiet.

"Are you okay? After yesterday and all?" Hide asked with concern. Kaneki had seemed relatively fine since they met up, but Hide had by no means forgotten what had happened the day before.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Thanks to you," Kaneki said with a smile and Hide blamed the sudden heat in his face on the warm tea.

"No problem!" Hide cheerfully reassured the other, trying not to focus too much on how his heartbeat increased every time the other's smile was directed at him.

"Did you really record the whole thing thou…?" Kaneki asked in a low voice. Hide could almost hear the unspoken ' _And let it go on for so long?_ '

"Haha, no. I had just turned the corner. I improvised. Lucky those guys weren't very smart," Hide laughed, but paused when Kaneki didn't join in. _Maybe Kaneki needed some reassurance._ "I wouldn't hesitate to help you, you know? Don't doubt that."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kaneki said with a sigh, looking even more troubled.

Hide felt himself frown as he tried to understand where he went wrong with his attempt at reassuring the other, "What? What do you mean?"

"Hide. You're a human," Kaneki said the words as if they pained him and Hide felt the frown grow on his face. Did Kaneki not want to hang out with him because he was human? He hadn't really considered it, but maybe Kaneki didn't really like humans.

"Yeah. I'm aware, thanks," Hide said with a small snort, pushing down on his sudden doubts.

"And!" Kaneki sent him a glare, "You could get seriously hurt."

"You could too! You _did_ get seriously hurt!" Hide exclaimed. Was _that_ what Kaneki was worried about?

"But I can heal. I'm okay. You… you wouldn't be," Kaneki trailed off, looking down at the cup clutched between his hands.

"I can take care-" Hide cut himself off, stopped by the pained look in Kaneki's eyes. "I understand. I will try to be careful. Buy you can't expect me to _not_ help if I can. I can't promise that."

Kaneki looked conflicted before heaving a sigh and nodding with a resigned smile. "Okay, thanks."

They chatted on for a couple of minutes, staying away from any heaver subjects. Hide paused as Kaneki raised his cup of coffee and seemed to breathe in the smell, a small smile on his lips.

"What do I smell like? To you?" Hide asked suddenly, cursing himself as the words left his mouth, he had _not_ intended to ask that out loud.

"Is that an official interview question?" Kaneki laughed, but Hide was sure he wasn't imagining the small dusting of red on the other's cheeks.

"Maybeeee," Hide drawled and Kaneki shot him an unimpressed look. "Okay, no, but I wanna know!"

"Well…" Kaneki took a deep breath, hesitating, the blush in his cheeks deepening, "You smell like sunshine, and oranges. And right now, you smell a bit like… salami?"

"That would be my breakfast!" Hide laughed. Kaneki joined in and Hide's eyes widened as Kaneki threw his head back, his laughter ringing out in the small café. He knew then that he was absolutely lost; he wanted nothing more than making Kaneki laugh like that every day. As they calmed down a bit Hide felt some regret when he remembered the reason they were in the café in the first place.

"Should we start with the real questions then?" Hide said between giggles, "Before I embarrass myself further?"

"Sure," Kaneki said, still wearing a relaxed smile. Hide rummaged through his bag and got his notebook and pen, placing them on the table in front of him.

"Okay, so. Back to business I guess." Hide cleared his throat as he looked down on his notes and read the next question. "Do you remember the time before ghouls were made "legal"?"

"Eh, yes," Kaneki answered hesitantly, picking up his coffee cup and taking a small sip. The smile slipping from his face.

"Could you tell me something about it?" Hide asked. "If it's not too hard or anything!"

"Well…" Kaneki seemed to hesitate. "I was living here, in the 20th ward… and I was studying? I don't really know what to say? My life wasn't that interesting," Kaneki laughed, scratching his chin.

Hide felt himself frown, it was something he had started picking up on the last couple of days hanging with Kaneki; the other tended to scratch at his chin when he felt nervous, or when he wasn't being completely honest. But he didn't want to pry if Kaneki didn't want to share. Hide couldn't bring himself to ignore the fact that it made him feel a bit sad that the other wasn't comfortable with being completely honest with him, though.

"Ah, okay. That's fine! I'm just supposed to get a general picture of how your life differs after the new legalization in comparison to before," Hide waved it off with a smile.

"Oh, well," Kaneki trailed of, seemingly thinking hard. "It's a lot calmer now. In the ghoul world, that is. There's not as much fighting over territories and what not," Kaneki said in a low voice, eyes fixed on Hide, to gauge his reaction? Hide kept his face relaxed and nodded along; gladly accepting any information Kaneki would give him about himself.

"I guess I can somewhat understand that! I've heard that a lot of the big gangs disbanded."

"That doesn't mean that there's no more dangerous ghouls thou," Kaneki said in a serious tone, eyes still fixed on Hide. Hide suppressed a shudder. "They didn't all just disappear."

"Of course not," Hide agreed, wondering what Kaneki was really getting at. "But it got to be better, right?"

"I think that there needs to be more change," Kaneki stated firmly, eyes uncharacteristically hard.

"What do you mean?" Hide asked tentatively, realizing that this was a subject of great importance to the other.

"It's great and all that ghouls aren't hunted like animals anymore. At least not officially… and it's good that the CCG has started research into how to help ghouls, and producing artificial meat, but… But not a lot has changed, if you really look at it. Ghouls still live in hiding, a lot of ghouls still attack people, and a lot of ghouls still attack _each other_. The only real difference is that now humans are attacking more ghouls as well. I fear that this new legalization mainly works as a way to identify ghouls, to make them easier to keep track of and to _take care of_ if people deem it necessary. I know a lot of ghouls that would never register, since it comes with almost no benefits, but a lot of risks. They would rather live as before, hidden and-" Hide gaped at the other; this was the most he had ever heard Kaneki speak. The other seemed to realize what he had just said and blushed while covering his face in his hands, mumbling, "God, I'm starting to sound just like Touka, aren't I?"

Hide smiled reassuringly, "I understand what you mean. I know several humans that would love the opportunity to take revenge on ghouls, any ghoul," Hide admitted with a frown. "And I realize that ghouls live in basically the same amount as uncertainty as before, but don't you agree that it's at least a step in the right direction?"

"Of course I do! It's amazing that something like this even happened, after all those years… but that doesn't mean that it's over, that we should be satisfied with what we got. A lot of people are talking about this as if it's done now; were at peace and this is as good as it gets."

"I agree that there's still a lot of things that could be better," Hide said while his thoughts went back to the night before and the raw hatred in the two men's eyes. Kaneki's eyes seemed to soften at his agreement, and Hide realized that he had passed some hidden test.

"You know, I used to be-" Kaneki started but cut himself off, a small frown forming on his face. He took a deep breath and started again. "I was once also a-" Kaneki stopped again, seemingly unable to continue his sentence.

"What?" Hide asked carefully, hoping that a small prompt might help the other get whatever it was out.

Kaneki shook his head in frustration, opened and closed his mouth several times and then heaved a deep sigh. Hide reached out for Kaneki's right hand, which was resting on the table in front of him and placed his own hand carefully over the other's, squeezing slightly.

"It's okay, you don't have to say something if it's too hard."

Kaneki looked up from their hands and sent him a questioning look, before he smiled slightly and gave him a small nod. Hide smiled back with what he hoped was a reassuring expression on his face.

"I think that's enough talk about that!" Hide stated firmly and Kaneki's mouth quirked up into a small smile. Hide reluctantly withdrew his hand. "It's your turn to ask a question!"

Kaneki seemed to think it over for a couple of seconds before looking over at Hide with slightly furrowed brows, asking, "How long is this assignment?"

"Well, there's one more question… Why?" Hide answered hesitantly. _Was Kaneki so uncomfortable with him that he wanted to leave right now?_

Kaneki suddenly looked insecure, fiddling with his hands.

"I mean… Do you… Do you still want to hang out? When the interview is done?" Hide felt his eyes widen. _Oh._

"What?" Hide exclaimed before he could stop himself, immediately regretting it when Kaneki's eyebrow knitted together, mouth pressing into a thin line. He scrambled to continue before Kaneki would get the wrong idea, "Of course I want to hang out! Were friends, aren't we?"

"Oh… Y-yeah," Kaneki said with a relieved smile, his shoulders relaxing, before continuing with wonder in his voice, "We are, aren't we."

"I mean, if you want to that is?" Hide asked, suddenly feeling a bit insecure. Maybe he had misread Kaneki the whole time?

"Of course! I-" Kaneki hesitated as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink, "I would love to."

Hide smiled and glanced down at his notebook, eyes landing on the last question on the page. He looked up to meet Kaneki's eyes again and the other gave a small nod in encouragement. Hide cleared his throat.

"Do you feel equal with humans?" Hide asked in a somewhat strained voice, he couldn't completely mask the sympathy in it; the question had a fairly obvious answer.

"I don't… know. No, I guess not," Kaneki answered as he looked away again, looking a bit uncomfortable with the subject.

"Why?" Hide prodded carefully, keeping his voice light.

Kaneki sent him a dry look and Hide shrugged with an expression that he hoped conveyed 'indulge me'.

"We're not really able to live like humans, are we? It's fine as long as people _think_ we are humans, but as soon as they see the truth we are regarded as nothing but monsters. That's not equality."

"Yeah, I agree…" Hide muttered, not really sure of what to say.

Kaneki kept looking at him for a couple of seconds before releasing a deep breath, relaxing slightly, "What do you want to do when you graduate?"

"Eh?" Hide stopped short. He remembered what Kaneki had said the last time they talked about this, about how he hadn't really thought about it since his future had felt so uncertain. Was this Kaneki trying to rub that in? Their different circumstances?

"You know, out in the real world. A job?" Kaneki winked and Hide snorted as he recognized his own question from earlier.

"Haha, very funny!" Hide laughed, breathing a sigh of relief. "I want to work as a journalist, or as a police officer, maybe even in the CCG."

Now it was Kaneki's turn to look uncertain. "What?"

"Well, I want to be able to change things. Between humans and ghouls. And spread some true information, make the two sides understand each other better and all that."

"That's a nice dream," Kaneki said with a smile, his eyes soft, and Hide had to turn his face away. "I used to know someone who said the same thing."

"What happened to them?" Hide asked, feeling interested in the prospect of someone with the same ideas as him.

"They died," Kaneki stated somewhat coldly, his eyes downcast.

"Oh," Hide hesitated. He had not intended to dredge up more painful memories, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. That was a long time ago," Kaneki reassured him with a small apologetic smile, shoulders relaxing, "But you really should follow that dream, it sounds nice. I believe in you."

Kaneki smiled at him, and Hide felt at a loss for words; _Kaneki believed in him? Supported his dreams?_

"Thanks?" Hide managed to croak out from a suddenly tight throat.

"You're welcome," Kaneki said in a kind voice, eyes honest and looking directly at Hide.

Hide felt a hot blush spread up from his neck and over his face and felt relieved as Kaneki took a long sip of his coffee, eyes down on the table between them. Hide was grateful for the opportunity to gather his thoughts; he doubted his ability to produce a coherent sentence with his heart hammering in his chest hard enough to almost drown out the sound of Kaneki's voice.

"I have one more question and then I'm done," Hide managed to say with determination, trying to force his voice to be stable.

"Okay, what?" Kaneki asked as he turned his head to look at Hide, smile still in place.

"Will you go on a date with me?" Hide asked quickly, not giving himself any time to second guess what he was doing. As soon as the words had left his mouth he celebrated his courage at asking and cursed himself for possibly ruining his friendship with Kaneki.

"Eh? What?" Kaneki asked with wide eyes and an open mouth. Hide sent the other a pleading look, praying that his face didn't look as red as it felt.

"Please just answer the question Kaneki!" Hide whined, theatrically flopping down on the table between them. _Please say yes._

"…Yes," Kaneki mumbled out, tilting his head forward so that his bangs almost hid his eyes.

"What did you say?" Hide shot up again, sitting straight with wide eyes. The corners of his lips were slowly inching upwards to form a smile.

"You heard me the first time!" Kaneki complained, but Hide simply kept looking at him expectantly. Kaneki sighed. "Yes. I will go on a date with you." The words were casual, but the blush that spread up his neck all the way to his ears told another story. Hide grinned and ignored how warm his own cheeks felt.

"Neat!"


End file.
